When Pamela Noel of Garner arrived in Raleigh on Friday to collect her scratch-off winnings, she had no idea her ticket held a $1 million top prize.

“I actually thought it was $2,000 until they told me when I got here,” she laughed. “I guess I missed something on the ticket.”

Noel said she could barely speak when she found out the true size of her win.

“It was mind blowing,” Noel said. “I am still in a daze.”

She bought her lucky $1,000,000 Cashword ticket from the Sheetz on N.C. 50 North in Garner.

After Noel found out how much she won, she had a decision to make. She could choose to receive the prize as an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years or a lump sum of $600,000. She chose the lump sum of $600,000 and, after required state and federal tax withholdings, took home $430,503.

“That is awesome,” she said when she received her big check.

Noel plans to use her winnings to pay bills and buy a Hyundai Genesis, her “dream car.”

The $1,000,000 Cashword game debuted in August with four top prizes of $1 million. Two $1 million prizes remain to be claimed.

For details on how $62.7 million raised by the lottery made a difference for education programs in Wake County last year, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.